CHAPTER I.

Of feasts—of fasts and dreaming—their idea of the human soul, and of a future existence—customs of burial—of their knowledge of astronomy—traditions concerning the sun and moon—of totems—of their acquaintance with plants, animals, and minerals.

OF INDIAN FEASTS

Among the Indians, the man who gives many feasts, or who, in the language of their songs, “causes the people to walk about continually,” is accounted great. In times, therefore, when game is abundant, feasts are multiplied. Before the whites introduced among them intoxicating drinks, it is probable the assembling together for feasts, was their principal and most favourite source of excitement in times of peace, and comparative inactivity. They have several kinds of feasts:—

1st. METAI-WE-KOON-DE-WIN—Medicine feast, or that feasting which forms a part of their great religious ceremony, the Metai. This is under the direction of some old men, who are called chiefs for the Metai,[38] and the initiated only are admitted. The guests are invited by a Me-zhin-no-way, or chief’s man of business, who delivers to each of the guests a small stick. In the south they use small pieces of cane; in the north, quills are sometimes substituted, which are dyed and kept for the purpose. No verbal message is delivered with this token. The numerous preparatory measures, and the various steps in the performance of this ceremony, need not be here detailed.[39] Dogs are always chosen for the feast, from a belief, that as they are more sagacious and useful to men, so they will be more acceptable to their divinities, than any other animals. They believe that the food they eat, at this and some other of their feasts, ascends, though in a form invisible to them, to the Great Spirit. Besides the songs sang on occasion of this feast, and some of which have been translated for this work, they have numerous exhortations from the old men. Among much of unintelligible allusion, and ridiculous boasting, these addresses contain some moral precepts and exhortations, intermixed with their traditionary notions concerning Na-na-bush, and other personages of their mythology. Whenever the name of the Great Spirit is uttered by the speaker, all the audience, who, if they remain sober, seem wrapped in the deepest attention, respond to it by the interjection, Kwa-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho! the first syllable being uttered in a quick and loud tone, and each of the additional syllables fainter and quicker, until it ceases to be heard. They say the speaker touches the Great Spirit, when he mentions the name, and the effect on the audience may be compared to a blow on a tense string, which vibrates shorter and shorter, until it is restored to rest. This peculiar interjection is also used by the Ottawwaws, when they _blow_ or _shoot_ with their medicine skins, at the persons to be initiated.

2d. WAIN-JE-TAH WE-KOON-DE-WIN—Feast called for by dreams. Feasts of this kind may be held at any time, and no particular qualifications are necessary in the entertainer or his guests. The word _wain-je-tah_ means common, or true, as they often use it in connection with the names of plants or animals, as _wain-je-tah o-muk-juk-ke_, means a right or proper toad, in distinction from a tree frog, or a lizard.

3rd. WEEN-DAH-WAS-SO-WIN—Feast of giving names. These are had principally on occasion of giving names to children, and the guests are expected to eat all, be it more or less, that is put into their dish by the entertainer. The reason they assign for requiring, at this and several other feasts, all that has been cooked to be eaten, is, apparently, very insufficient; namely, that they do so in imitation of hawks, and some other birds of prey, who never return a second time to that they have killed.

4th. MENIS-SE-NO WE-KOON-DE-WIN—War feast. These feasts are made before starting, or on the way towards the enemy’s country. Two, four, eight, or twelve men, may be called, but by no means an odd number. The whole animal, whether deer, bear, or moose, or whatever it may be, is cooked, and they are expected to eat it all; and, if it is in their power, they have a large bowl of bear’s grease standing by, which they drink in place of water. Notwithstanding that a man who fails to eat all his portion, is liable to the ridicule of his more gormandizing companions, it frequently happens that some of them are compelled to make a present of tobacco to their entertainer, and beg him to permit that they may not eat all he has given them. In this case, and when there is no one of the company willing to eat it for him, some one is called from without. In every part of this feast, when it is made after the warriors leave home, they take care that _no bone of the animal eaten shall be broken_; but after stripping the flesh from them, they are carefully tied up, and hung upon a tree. The reason they assign for preserving, in this feast, the bones of the victim unbroken, is, that thus they may signify to the Great Spirit, their desire to return home to their own country, with their bones uninjured.

5th. GITCHE-WE-KOON-DE-WIN—The great feast. This is a feast of high pretensions, which few men, in any band, and only those of principal authority, can venture to make. The animal is cooked entire, as far as they are able to do it. This kind is sometimes called _mez-ziz-z-kwa-win_.

6th. WAW-BUN-NO WE-KOON-DE-WIN—Wawbeno feast. This, and the other mummeries of the Wawbeno, which is looked upon as a false and mischievous heresy, are now laid aside by most respectable Indians. These feasts were celebrated with much noise and disturbance; they were distinguished from all other feasts, by being held commonly in the night time, and the showing off of many tricks with fire.

7th. JE-BI NAW-KA-WIN—Feast with the dead. This feast is eaten at the graves of their deceased friends. They kindle a fire, and each person, before he begins to eat, cuts off a small piece of meat, which he casts into the fire. The smoke and smell of this, they say, attracts the Je-bi to come and eat with them.

8th. CHE-BAH-KOO-CHE-GA-WIN—Feast for his medicine. During one whole day in spring, and another in autumn, every good hunter spreads out the contents of his medicine bag in the back part of his lodge, and feasts his neighbours, in honour of his medicine. This is considered a solemn and important feast, like that of the Metai.

9th. O-SKIN-NE-GE-TAH-GA-WIN—Boy’s feast. This might be called the feast of the first fruits, as it is made on occasion of a boy, or a young hunter, killing his first animal, of any particular kind. From the smallest bird, or a fish, to a moose, or buffalo, they are careful to observe it. Numerous instances of it occur in the foregoing narrative, therefore it need not be dwelt upon.

OF FASTS AND DREAMING

Rigorous and long continued fasting is enjoined upon young and unmarried persons of both sexes, and they begin at a very early age. The parent, in the morning, offers the child the usual breakfast in one hand, and charcoals in the other; if the latter is accepted, the parent is gratified, and some commendations, or marks of favour, are bestowed on the child. To be able to continue long fasting, confers an enviable distinction. They, therefore, inculcate upon their children the necessity of remaining long without food. Sometimes the children fast three, five, seven, and some, as is said, even ten days; in all of which time they take only a little water, and that at very distant intervals. During these fasts, they pay very particular attention to their dreams, and from the character of these, their parents, to whom they relate them, form an opinion of the future life of the child. Dreaming of things above, as birds, clouds, the sky, etc. is considered favourable; and when the child begins to relate any thing of this kind, the parent interrupts him, saying, “it is well, my child, say no more of it.” In these dreams, also, the children receive impressions, which continue to influence their character through life. A man, an old and very distinguished warrior, who was some years ago at Red River, dreamed, when fasting in his childhood, that a bat came to him, and this little animal he chose for his medicine. To all the costly medicines for war or hunting, used by other Indians, he paid no attention. Throughout his life he wore the skin of a bat tied to the crown of his head, and in his numerous war excursions, he went into battle exulting in the confidence that the Sioux, who could not hit a bat on the wing, would never be able to hit him. He distinguished himself in many battles, and killed many of his enemies; but throughout his long life, no bullet ever touched him, all of which he attributed to the protecting influence of his medicine, revealed to him, in answer to his fasting in boyhood. Of Net-no-kwa, his foster mother, the author of the foregoing narrative relates, that at about twelve years of age, she fasted ten successive days. In her dream, a man came down and stood before her, and after speaking of many things, he gave her two sticks, saying, “I give you these to walk upon, and your hair I give it to be like snow.” In all her subsequent life, this excellent woman retained the confident assurance, that she should live to extreme old age, and often, in times of the greatest distress from hunger, and of apparent danger from other causes, she cheered her family by the assurance, that it was given to her to crawl on two sticks, and to have her head like the snow, and roused them to exertion by infusing some part of her own confident reliance upon the protection of a superior and invisible Power.

The belief, that communications take place in dreams from superior beings to men, is not peculiar to this people, or this age of the world. Men, particularly, when their minds are little cultivated, are ever ready to believe themselves objects of particular attention, and the subjects of especial solicitude to their divinities. Among the Indians of the Algonkin stock, many, and perhaps all, believe that not only their prayers, in times of distress, are heard and answered, but they think, that to some among them, are communicated in dreams intimations of things which are to happen in remote times, and even after death. It is probable their traditional belief of a future state, and of the circumstances attending it, have made so strong an impression on the minds of children, that they may often dream of it, and continue to do so, at intervals during life. Accordingly, several may be found among them, who, having in extreme sickness had their thoughts particularly directed to this subject, and having, perhaps, been reduced so low as to be considered in a desperate condition—(of a person in which situation they speak as of one dead)—may have dreamed, or imagined the impressions of their early childhood to have been realized. Hence, we hear them relating, with confidence, that such and such persons have been dead, and have travelled along the path of the dead, till they have come to the great strawberry, which lies by the road, this side the river; they have seen the river itself, some have even passed over it, and arrived in the villages of the dead. Dreams of this kind seem to have been frequent among them. But they have, most commonly, to tell of vexation, annoyance, and disappointment. They have come to the great strawberry, at which the Je-bi-ug refresh themselves, on their journey; but on taking up the spoon, and attempting to separate a part of it, the berry has become a rock, (which, with the people about Lake Superior, is a soft, red sand rock, because the type exists in their country.) They have then gone on, have been much alarmed at the Me-tig-ush-e-po-kit, (the swinging log,) on which they have to cross, or at the great dog, who stands beyond it. They have received taunts, and gibes, and insults, among their friends; have been sneered at, and called Je-bi! have had ashes and water given them, in place of Mun-dah-min aw-bo, or corn broth, bark for dried meat, and O-zhush-kwa-to-wuk, or the large puckwi, called puff balls, for squashes. Some men have commonly seen, in that country, only squaws, numbers of whom have competed for them, as a husband, and the dreams of all have been tinged with some shade of colour, drawn from their own peculiar situation. How these people came first in possession of their opinions respecting the country of the dead, cannot, perhaps, be known; but having it, we should not be surprised that it influences their dreams.

CEREMONIES AT INTERMENTS

In connection with this subject, we may devote a moment to the consideration of their idea of the human soul, or as they call it, the shadow.[40] They think this becomes unsettled, or as it were detached from the body in violent sickness; and they look upon a person who is very low, as one already dead. Hence it is not unusual to hear them speak of such and such a person, as being now dying, and yet to find him survive, not only many days, but years; and when told of this, they seem conscious of no impropriety in the expression: on the contrary, they often say of a person, he _died_ at such a time, but _came again_. I have also heard them reproach a sick person, for what they considered imprudent exposure in convalescence; telling him that his shadow was not well settled down in him, and that therefore he was in danger of losing it. It would seem, however, that although they believe the soul leaves the body previous to the commencement of dissolution in the former, yet that it is not removed far from it until long after death. This is manifest from their usage in the feast of Che-bah-koo-che-ga-win, and from some of the ceremonies of interment, particularly in the case of women, when their husbands are buried.

In the spring of the year 1826, a man of the Menomonies died and was buried very near the encampment of a part of the fifth regiment of United States infantry, on the high prairie in the rear of the village of Prairie Du Chein, on the Mississippi. The body was attended to the grave by a considerable number of the friends and relatives, and when it was let down into the shallow grave, the wife of the deceased approached the brink, and after looking down on the rude coffin, she stepped upon it, and immediately across, taking her course over the plains, towards the bluffs there, about a mile distant. This is a common practice of the women of that tribe; and the mourner is careful, if she contemplates a second marriage, never to look back towards the grave she has left, but returns to her lodge by some devious and circuitous route. It is done, as they say, that the Cha-pi (Je-bi of the Ojibbeways,) or the dead person, may not be able to follow them afterwards. If the woman should look back, they believe she would either fall dead immediately, or become insane, and remain so ever after. On some occasions, but rarely, another person accompanies the mourner, carrying a handful of small twigs, and following immediately after her, flourishes it about her head, as if driving away flies. The verb applicable to this action, is in the third person singular, Wai-whai-na-how, the more general one applicable to the whole ceremony, Ah-neuk-ken-new.

In the instance above mentioned, the woman walked rapidly, and without looking back, across the wide prairie, in a direction almost opposite that leading to her lodge; but her loud and bitter lamentings could be heard at a great distance, seeming to contradict the action by which she professed to seek an everlasting separation from the deceased.

The more common and well known observances paid to the dead by these people, seem not to indicate such a destitution of affection as the ceremony just described. In many of their customs relating to the treatment of the dead, we can discover, not only the traces of kind feeling, but a strong confidence in a future existence, and the belief that their departed friends can know and estimate the value of friendly offices rendered them after their departure. At the time of the great council at Prairie Du Chein, in 1825, a Sioux chief, of the remote band of the Sissitong, sickened and died of a bilious fever. He had been a distinguished man among his own people, and, as he had come a great distance from his own country, in obedience to the call of our government, the military commandant at that post was induced to bury him with the honours of war. The men of his band were gathered around his body, in the lodge where he died, and when the escort arrived, they raised him upon his bier, a hundred manly voices at the same time chanting forth a requiem, thus rendered by a person well acquainted with their language:

Grieve not, our brother! the path thou art walking Is that in which we, and all men must follow.

And thus they continued to repeat, until they reached the grave. There is something impressive and affecting in their habit of preserving and dressing up the je-bi, or memorial of the dead, which, like our weeds and crapes, finds a place in many a dwelling where little of mourning is visible. Yet, though the place which death had made vacant in their hearts, may have been filled, they seem never to forget the supply they consider due the wants of the departed. Whenever they eat or drink a portion is carefully set apart for the je-bi, and this observance continues for years, should they not, in the mean time, have an opportunity to send out this memorial with some war party; when, if it be thrown down on the field of battle, as they aim always to do, then their obligation to the departed ceases.

Of the Chippewyans, the Sarcees, the Strong Bows, and other tribes inhabiting those dreary regions which border on the arctic circle, it is related, that they in many instances omit to bury their dead, and that they frequently desert their relatives and friends, whenever, from sickness or old age, they become unable to endure the ordinary fatigues of their manner of life. There is no more reason to question the accuracy of these statements, than of those in relation to the cannibalism, sodomy, and other shocking vices of more southern tribes. But as the destitution of natural affection manifested in the conduct of many of the American tribes towards their relatives in sickness and decrepitude, is undoubtedly that among their vices, which is most abhorrent to the feelings of civilized men, so we shall find the instances of rare occurrence, except where the rigour of the climate, or other natural causes, impose on them a necessity, to which we ourselves, in the same circumstances, should probable yield as they do. The horrible practices to which men of all races have been driven in besieged cities, in cases of shipwreck, and other similar emergencies, should admonish us that the Indians, as a race, deserve no peculiar detestation for crimes growing unavoidably out of their situation.

CATALOGUE OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS

_Found in the country of the Ojibbeways; with English names, as far as these could be ascertained._

METIK-GOAG—Trees.

SHIN-GO-BEEK—Ever greens, or cone bearing trees.

Ma-ni-hik—Norway pine.

A-nee-naun-duk—Balsam fir.

Kik-kaun-dug—Spruce. The black pheasant feeds on the leaves.

Mus-keeg-wah-tick—Hackmatack, swamp wood.

Kaw-waun-duk—Single spruce.

Mis-kwaw-wauk—Red cedar.

Ke-zhik—White cedar.

Kaw-waw-zheek—Juniper bushes.

Kaw-waw-zheen-sha, or Ah-kaw-wun-je—Yew.

Kaw-kaw-ge-wingz—Hemlock spruce.

Puk-gwun-nah-ga-muk—White pine, (peeling bark.)

Shin-gwawk—Yellow pine.

NE-BISH-UN—Trees with broad leaves.

Nin-au-tik—Sugar maple, (our own tree.)

She-she-gum-maw-wis—River maple, (sap flows fast.)

Shah-shah-go-be-muk—low-ground maple.

Moons-omais—Striped maple, (Moose wood.)

Shah-shah-go-be-muk-oons—Spiked maple, (little shah-shah-go-be-muk.)

We-gwos—White birch.

Ween-es-sik—Black birch.

Buh-wi-e-me-nin aw-gaw-wunje—Red Cherry, (the wood of the shaken down fruit, or berry.)

Sus-suh-way-meen ah-ga-wunje—Choke cherry.

Buh-wi-me-nah-ne-gah-wunje—Black Cherry.

Nai-go-wim-me-nah gaw-we-zheen—Sand-cherry bushes.

Me-tik-o-meesh, (Mait-e-koma, Menomonie)—Black oak, (wood cup.)

Meesh-a-mish—White oak.

Ah-sah-tia—White poplar.

Mah-nu-sah-tia—Balsam poplar, (ugly poplar.) Mat-heh-me-toos—Cree. Franklin’s narrative, p. 78.

Be-zhew-au-tik—Coffee bean tree, (wild cat tree.) Found only in the south.

Way-miche-ge-meen-ah-ga-wunje—Honey locust, southern.

Uz-zhuh-way-mish—Beech; none northward of Mackinac.

Me-tig-wawb-awk—Smooth hickory, (smooth wood bow tree.)

Nas-kun-nuk-a-koosit Me-teg-waub-awk—Hickory, (rough bark bow tree.)

A-neeb—Elm, white.

O-shah-she-go-pe—Red elm, two varieties: the bark of one only used for sacks.

Wa-go-be-mish—Linn, (bark tree.)

Bug-gaun-awk—Black walnut.

Ke-no-sha bug-gaun-awk—Butternut, (long walnut.)

Ahn-za bug-gaun-awk—Pecan, southern.

Suz-zuh-wuh-ko-mist—Hackberry.

As-seme-nun—Pawpaw.

Boo-e-auk—White ash.

We-sug-auk—Black ash.

Bug-gaun-ne-me-zeesh-ah—Hazel bush.

Waw-bun wah-ko-meezh—White arrow wood.

We-ah-ko-meezh—Arrow wood.

Mus-kwaw be-muk—Red ozier.

O-to-pe—Alder. O-to-peen—Alders.

Sis-se-go-be-mish—Willow.

Bug-ga-sah-ne-mish—Plum tree.

Mish-she-min-nuh ga-wunje—Crab apple tree.

Mish-she-min au-tik—Crab apple wood, or tree.

Ne-be-min-ah-ga-wunje—High craneberry bush.

Tah-tah-te-mun-ah-ga-wunje—Black haw bush.

Ke-teg-ge-manito—New Jersey tea, (red root.)

Koose-gwaw-ko-mizhe-ga-wunje—High blue berry bush.

O-zhusk-ko-mi-zheen—Musk rat berries.

Be-mah-gwut—Grape.

We-gwos-be-mah-gwut—Birch grape.

Manito-be-mah-gwut, or manito-meen-a-gah-wunje—Cissus, a climbing vine, with scattered berries, somewhat like grapes.

Mus-ke-ge-min[41]—Cranberry, crane berries, (Swamp berries.)

Sa-zah-ko-me-nah gah-wah-zheen, pl.—Saccacommis, or arbutus. The leaves of this plant, the _uva ursa_ of the shops, are commonly used by the Ojibbeways, in whose country it abounds, to mix with their tobacco.

Waw-be-ko-meen-ah-ga-wunje—Nine bark, or spiraw.

Wis-seg-ge-bug, sing., wis-seg-ge-bug-goon, pl.—Bitter leaf; an andromeda, very highly esteemed by the Indians, as a remedy, and by them said to grow only about the Grand Traverse, in Lake Huron.

Ne-kim-me-nun—Swamp whortle berries.

Shug-gus-kim-me-nun—Thimble berries, or flowering raspberries.

Kaw-waw-be-ga-koo-zit—White bark, a small tree at Lake Traverse.

Ut-tuh-be-ga-zhin-nah-gook—A shrub said to be found only in the north.

Pah-posh-geshe-gun-au-tik—Red elder, (popgun wood,) very common about Me-nau-zhe-taun-naug, and the islands in the Lake of the Woods.

Bwoi-jim-me-nah-ga-wunje—Whortleberry bush.

Ne-kim-me-nah-ga-wunje—High blue berry bush.

Mus-keeg o-bug-goan—Labrador tea, (swamp leaves,) one of the most esteemed of the products of cold and swampy regions; used in decoction as tea.

Pe-boan-meen-ah-gaw-wunje—Winter berry bush, a prinos.

Mun-no-mun-ne-chee-beeg[42]—Red paint root.

Me-nais-sa gaw-wunje—Thorn apple.

Buz-zuk-ko-me-nais, sing., buz-zuk-ko-me-nais-ug, pl.—A kind of thorn apple growing in the north, which sometimes kill bears when they eat them in large quantities. The Indians suppose that it is in consequence of the strongly adhesive quality of the pulp, that they have this deleterious property.

Meen—Blue berry; mee-un—Blue berries, (fruit.) This is a word that enters into the composition of almost all which are used as the names of fruits or berries of any kind; as me-she-min, or me-she-meen, an apple, o-da-e-min, a strawberry, or heart berry, etc. The word ga-wunje, added to the name of any fruit or berry, indicates the wood or bush.

Meen-ah-ga-wunje—Blue berry, or whortle berry bush.

Ma-ko-meen-ah-ga-wunje—Black currant bush.

Mish-e-je-min-ga-wunje—This is a bush growing at and about the Lake of the Woods, which bears red currants, like those of the gardens; but the currants are beset thickly with hairs.

Shah-bo-min-nun—Goose berries; Shah-bo-min ga-wunje—the bushes.

Mis-kwa-min—Raspberry; mis-kwa-min-nug—Raspberries.

Gaw-waw-ko-meesh—Black raspberries.

O-dah-tah-gah-go-min—Blackberry; O-dah-tah-gah-go-me-nug—Blackberries.

Muk-kwo-me-nug, or muk-kwaw-me-nug—Bear berries; Muk-ko-me-nah-ga-wunje—The mountain ash, or American service tree.

O-gin-ne-mee-nah-wa-wunje—Rose bush. The fruit is much eaten in winter by the starving Indians in the north.

All these are called Me-tik-goag, or woody plants.

WEAH-GUSH-KOAN[43]—Weeds, or herbaceous plants.

Me-zhus-keen, (Ma-zhus-koon on the Menomonies)—Grasses.

Na-bug-us-koan—Coarse swamp grass.

Anah-kun-us-koan—Bull rush, (matt grass.)

Be-gwa-wun-us-koan—Soft coarse grass. The name of the Be-wi-o-nus-ko River and Lake, called Rush River on some of the maps, is from this word. This word seems, in some districts, to be used as the name of the cow parsley.

As-ah-gu-nus-koan—Bug-gusk—Iris.

Puk-kwi-usk-oge—Flags.

O-zhusk-gwut-te-beeg—Muskrat root, (a grass.)

_The following are not called Me-zhus-keen._

Muz-zha-nusk-koan—Nettles.

Skib-waw-we-gusk—Artichoke, a species of sun flower.

Ke-zhe-bun-ush-koan—Rushes.

O-kun-dum-moge—Pond lilies.

Ma-ko-pin, Ma-ko-pin-eeg, sin. and pl.—Chinkapin, or cyamus.

Waw-be-ze-pin-neeg—Arrow head, (swan potatoes.) The roots of the common saggittaria, as well as the bulbs of some of the crest flowering lilies, which are eaten by the Indians, receive this name.

Mus-ko-ti-pe-neeg—Lily, (Prairie potatoes.)

Sah-sah-way-suk—Turkey potatoes.

O-kah-tahk—Cicuta.

Ma-ni-to O-kah-tahk—Sison? heracleum?

O-saw-wus-kwun-wees—Green small balls.

Sug-gut-ta-bo-way—Sticking burs; hounds tongues, etc.

Nah-ma-wusk—Spear mint, (sturgeon medicine.)

Wis-se-giche-bik—Indian’s physic, (bitter root; Callistachia.)

Mis-kwe-wis-che-be-kug-guk—Blood root.

A-zhush-a-way-skuk—Square stem scrophularia.

Be-zhew-wusk—Wild cat medicine.

Ke-na-beek-o-me-nun—Snake berries; Dracaena borealis.

Mainwake—Angelica, or cow parsley.

Me-tush-koo-se-min—Apple of the prairie of the Canadians, (Psoralia,) much eaten by the Crees and Assinneboins, in whose country it abounds.

Mah-nom-o-ne gah-wah-zheen, pl.—Wild rice, (the grass.)

Muk-koose-e-mee-nun—Young bear’s berries.

We-nis-se-bug-goon—Wintergreen.

Mus-kee-go-bug-goon—Swamp winter green; perhaps the little rough wintergreen.

Be-na-bug-goon—Partridge flower.

Mus-ke-gway-me-taus—Side saddle flower, (Swamp bottles, in allusion to the pitcher shaped leaves.)[44]

Muk-kud-da-we-che-be-kug-guk—Black roots.

Ta-ta-sis-koo-see-men—The flower that follows the sun.

Pe-zhe-ke-wusk—Buffalo medicine. Wild carrot?

She-wa-bug-goon—Sweet cicely, (sour leaf.)

A-nich-e-me-nun—Wild pea vine.

O-da-na-me-na-gaw-wun-zheen, pl.—Strawberry vines.

Se-bwoi-gun-nuk—Corn stalks, (chaw sweet.)

O-pin—Potato. O-pin-neeg—Potatoes.

O-guis-e-maun—Squashes. O-zaw-waw-o-guis-se-maun—Yellow squashes.

Mis-kwo-de-se-min—Bean. Mis-kwo-de-se-me-nug—Beans.

As-ke-tum-moong—Melons.

Gitche-un-ne-beesh—Cabbage, (big leaf.) Gitche-ne-beesh-un—great leaves.

Skush-kun-dah-min-ne-kwi-uk—Plantain; the leaves of this are particularly observed by hunter, as they show, better than any thing else, the age of the tracks of game.

Shig-gau-ga-win-zheeg,[45] pl.—Onions, (skunk weeds.)

O-kau-tauk—carrots.

Kitche-mus-ke-ke-meen—Red Pepper, (great medicine berry.)

Ba-se-kwunk—This is a red astringent root, much valued by the Indians, as an application to wounds. Avens root?

Shah-bo-ze-gun—Milkweed. The Ojibbeway word signifies _purgative_.

Waw-be-no-wusk—Yarrow, (Wawbeno medicine.)

Ke-zhe-bun-ush-kon-sun—Small rushes, in prairie.

Nah-nah-gun-e-wushk—Fern. Nah-nah-gun-ne-wush-koan—Ferns.

Wese-bain-jah-ko-nun—Usnaco.

Wah-ko-nug—Lichens; the edible gyrophora.

Ween-de-go-wah-ko-nug—Gyrophora inedible.

Waw-bah-sah-ko-nick—Sphagnun, used by the women to make a bed for young children.

Ah-sah-ko-mik—Marchantia, and green mosses, on the shady sides of trees.

O-zhusk-kwa-toan-suk—Reindeer moss-citrariac, etc.

O-ZHUSH-KWA-TO-WUG—Fungi.

Waw-but-to—Pine touch-wood.

Me-tik-o-mish O-zhusk-kwa-to-wug—White oak touch-woods much used to burn mortars for pounding corn.

Sug-guh-tah-gun—Spunk.

Je-bi-e-push-kwa-e-gun—Zylostroma; dead people’s moccasin leather, is the literal meaning of this word, which is applied to the leather-like substance in the fissures of old trees.

O-je-bi-e-muk-ke-zin—Ghost or spirit moccasin; puff ball; dead man’s shoe; sometimes called Anung-wug—stars.

AH-WES-SIE-UG[46]—Animals.

The diminutive termination is used for the young of animals, and is, in the Ottawwaw dialect, generally in the sound of _ns_, or _nce_, when the noun ends with a vowel. Thus, _gwin-gwaw-ah-ga_, a wolverene; _gwin-gwaw-ah-gaince_, a young wolverene; the _a_, in the last syllable, retaining the same sound as in the word without the diminutive termination. When any distinction of sex is made, it is commonly by prefixing the words _i-ah-ba_ and _no-zha_, very similar in signification to our _male_ and _female_; thus _i-ah-ba gwin-gwaw-ah-ga_, is a male wolverene; _no-zha gwin-gwaw-ah-ga_, a female wolverene.

Gwin-gwaw-ah-ga—Wolverene, (tough beast.) Carcajou, French, _northern glutton_, a very sagacious and mischievous animal, but not of common occurrence; now principally found among the lakes.

Na-nah-pah-je-ne-ka-se—A mole? (foot wrong way.)

Bo-taich-che-pin-gwis-sa—Gopher, (blow up the ground.)

Manito Muk-kwaw—Great grizzly bear, always found in the prairie.

Ma-mis-ko-gah-zhe-muk-kwaw—Red nail bear; very fierce and dangerous, more feared by the Indians than the former, who very rarely attacks a man, unless wounded; but the red nailed bear attacks when unprovoked, and pursues with great speed. He lives in rocky places in woods.

Muk-kwaw—Common bear; _ou-wash-ah_, of the Menomonies.

Muk-koons, or Muk-koonce—Cub; _ou-wa-sha-sha_, of the Menomonies.

_I-aw-ba-koons_ and _no-zha-koons_, are used by the Ottawwaws and Ojibbeways to distinguish the male and female bear, where the Menomonies would use _ou-wa-shah e-nai-ne-wow_ and _ou-wa-shah ma-tai-mo-shuh_.

Me-tun-nusk, Ojib.—Toothless, } } Badger. Mish-she-mo-nah-na, Ott.—Great burrower, }

Mus-ko-tai Chit-ta-mo—Prairie squirrel.

Mus-ko-tai Ah-gwin-gwoos—Prairie striped squirrel; small squirrel, with stripes and spots, burrowing in the prairie, sometimes with the _chittamo_.

Ah-gwin-gwoos—Chipping squirrel.

Atch-e-dah-mo—Red squirrel.

O-zhug-gus-kon-dah-wa—Flying squirrel, (strikes flat on a tree.)

Sun-nah-go, and Muk-kud-da As-sun-nah-go, and Mis-kwaw-sun-nah-go—The grey, black and fox squirrels, not found in the country north of Lake Superior.

Uk-kuk-koo-jees—Ground hog, smaller than in the states.

Me-sau-boos—Hare, white in winter.

Waw-boos—Rabbit, Meezh-way, Meezh-way-ug, sin. and pl.—Southern rabbit.

Pish-tah-te-koosh—Antelope. This is reckoned the fleetest animal in the prairie country, about the Assinneboin.

Pe-zhe-ke—Buffalo. No-zha-zha-pe-zhe-ke—A cow that has a young calf following her. O-neen-jah-nis-pe-zhe-ke—Farrow cow.

Jah-ba-pe-zhe-ke—Bull. Pe-zhe-keence—A young calf. O-saw-waw Koo-shance—A calf while the hair is red. Poo-nah-koosh—Calf, a year old. Ah-ne-ka-boo-nah-koosh—two years old.

Gitche-pe-zhe-ke—Fossil mammoth.

Ma-nah-tik—Big horn.

Gitche-mah-nish-tah-nish—Rocky mountain sheep.

ANE-NE-MOO-SHUG—Dogs.

Na-ne-mo-why, Ott. } } Small wolf, in prairie countries. Mish-tuh-tah-si, Ojib. }

Mi-een-gun-nug—Common wolves.

Mi-een-gun—Common wolf.

Muk-hud-da-mi-een-gun—Black wolf.

Waw-be-mi-een-gun—White wolf.

Shoon-sho—Long eared hound.

An-ne-moosh—Common dog.

Ta-tah-koo-gaut-ta-was-sim—Short leg dog.

Be-gwi-wa-was-sim—Long haired dog; Newfoundland.

Ke-wis-kwa-mi-een-gun-nug—Mad wolves, sometimes seen, but rarely bite, unless attacked.

WAW-GOO-SHUG—Foxes.

O-saw-waw-goosh—Common red fox.

Muk-kud-da-waw-goosh—Black fox.

Muk-kud-da-waw-goo-shug—Black foxes.

Wa-whaw-goosh—White fox, fur long, but of no value.

Ne-ke-kwa-tug-gah-wa-waw-goosh—Grey fox.

Pis-tat-te-moosh—Swift fox, (small dog.)

Kah-zhe-gainse—Common house cat, (little glutton.)

Pe-zhew—Wild cat.

Ke-tah-gah-pe-zhew—Lynx, (spotted wild cat.)

Me-she-pe-zhew—Panther, (big wild cat.)

Ah-meek—Beaver. Naub-ah-meek—Male beaver. Noazh-ah-meek—Female beaver. An-meek-koanse—Young beaver.

Kin-waw-no-wish-shug, Cree } } Black tailed deer. Muk-kud-da-waw-wash-gais, Ojib. }

Waw-wash-gais—Red or Virginian deer.

O-mush-koons, Ojib. } } Me-sha-way, Ottaw. } Elk. On Red River, } Mouse River, the Saskawjawun, etc. Waw-was-kesh, Cree, }

Ah-dik—Reindeer. Ca-ri-bou, French. The feet very large and broad, fitting the animal to travel over smooth ice, or deep snow; found on all the shores of Lake Superior, and sometimes at the upper end of Lake Huron; but most frequent farther north.

Mooze, or Moonce, Ojib. } Moose. The nasal sound, at the end of this } word is common in these dialects; but it is Moon-swah, Cree } difficult to represent, by the letters of } our alphabet.

I-aw-ba-mooze—Buck moose. No-zha-mooze—Deer moose. Moonze-aince—Little moose, etc.

A-yance—Opossum, only in the south. The word a-yance, means _crafty_.

Shin-goos—Weasel, two kinds.

Shin-goo-sug—Weasels.

Ne-gik—Otter. Ne-gik-wug—Otters.

Kwaush-kwaush-ko-tah-be-ko-sheezh.

Keen-waw-no-wa waw-waw-be-gun-o-je—Long tail leaping mouse.

Waw-waw-be-gun-o-je—Mouse.

Ah-mik-waw-waw-be-gun-o-je—Beaver, or diving mouse.

Kah-ge-bin-gwaw-kwa—Shrew. Two species are common about St. Maries, in winter.

Kahg—Porcupine.[47] Kahg-wug—Porcupines.

Shong-gwa-she—Mink.

Wah-be-zha-she—Marten. _Woapchees_, Z. p. 18.

A-se-bun—Raccoon.

She-gahg—Skunk.

O-zhusk—Muskrat.

Ah-puk-kwon-ah-je—Bat.

O-jeeg—Fisher weasel, a very stupid animal, easy to kill.

BA-BAH-MO-TA-JEEG—Reptiles.

Nau-to-way—Thick, short rattle snake. (Sha-no-we-naw—The rattler?)

She-she-gwa—Common rattle snake. Both these are occasionally kept tame by the Indians. They sometimes make feasts to them, and they are said to be very docile and intelligent.

Me-tik-o-she-she-gwa—Adder.

Na-wa—Moccasin snake.

Pih-kun—Prairie snake. At the head of Mouse River, and in the prairies towards the Missouri, these snakes are more than six feet long, and proportionably large. Pih-kun-un are common snakes, but never half so large as the above.

Mis-kwan-dib—Red head; copper snake?

O-zha-wus-ko Ke-na-beek—Green snake.

Muk-kud-da Ke-na-beek—Black snake.

O-mus-sun-dum-mo—Water snake.

Wa-in-je-tah Ke-na-beek—Garter snake, (right or true ge-na-bik.)

O-kaute Ke-na-beek—Lizzard, (legged snake.)

Gee-kut-tau-naung—Lizzard of some kind.

Que-we-zains—Little boy, (also a lizzard.)

Nib-be-ke O-muh-kuk-ke—Oribicular lizzard? (medicine frog.)

Wain-je-tah O-muh-kuk-ke—Right frogs, or common frog.

Dain-da—Bull frog, _and Hannie_, Z. 19.

Mis-ko-muh-kuk-ke—Red toad.[48]

Be-go-muh-kuk-ke—Common toads. These two last, at the approach of winter, place themselves erect on the surface of the ground, on their hams, and by turning themselves round and round, they sink into the ground, which closes over them, and they keep below the frost. They are often found, several within two or three feet of each other, buried deep in the earth, but keeping constantly their heads erect.

O-shaw-wus-ko-muh-kuk-ke—Tree frog.

Me-zhe-ka, Ottaw. } } Large tortoise. Me-kin-nauk, Ojib. }

Ta-ta-be-ko-nauk—Soft shelled tortoise.

Boos-kut-ta-wish—A tortoise with round deep shells.

Mis-kwaw-tais-sa—Terrapin.

Sug-gus-kwaw-ge-ma—Leech.

BE-NAIS-SE-WUG—Birds.

Ke-neu—War eagle; the master of all birds.

Me-giz-ze—White headed eagle. Me-giz-ze-wug, plural.

Ka-kaik—Spotted hawk.

Be-bo-ne-sa, Ottaw. } } Winter hawk. Ke-bu-nuz-ze, Ojib. }

No-je-ke-na-beek-we-zis-se—Marsh hawk, (snake eating.)

Wa-be-no-je Ke-na-beek-we-zis-se—White marsh hawk.

Mis-ko-na-ne-sa—Red tail hawk.

Pish-ke-neu—Black tail hawk.

Muk-kud-da-ke-neu—Black hawk.

Bub-be-nug-go—Spotted tail hawk.

Be-na-seen’s—Small pheasant hawk.

Cha-een-sa—A small hawk, so named from its cry.

Pe-pe-ge-wiz-zain’s—Smallest hawk.

We-nong-ga—Turkey buzzard.

Kah-gah-ge, Ojib. } } Raven. Kah-gah-ge-wug—Ravens. Gau-gau-ge-she, Ott. }

On-daig—Crow. On-daig-wug—Crows.

As-sig-ge-nawk—Black bird.

Mis-ko-min-gwe-gun-nah Sig-ge-nauk—Red wing black bird.

O-pish-kah-gah-ge—Magpie. O-pish-kah-gah-ge-wug—Magpies.

Gween-gwe-sha—Similar in habits and locality to the former, and closely resembling, in size and colour, the following.[49]

Teen-de-se—Blue jay. These begin to lay their eggs before the snow is off the ground in the spring.

Be-gwuk-ko-kwa o-wais-sa—Thrush.

Ah-luk—Similar to the thrush in habits.

Ween-de-go be-nais-sa—King bird, (the bird that eats his own kind.)

O-pe-che[50]—Robin.

Ma-mah-twa—Cat bird.

Chaum-ma-wais-she—Another of the same size.

Kos-kos-ko-na-ching—Ground bird? A small bird so named from its note.

Put-tas-se-wis.

Waw-be-ning-ko-se—Snow birds.

Che-ki-che-gau-na-sa—A very small lively bird, peculiar to the north.

Mis-kobe-na-sa—Red bird.

Sa-ga-bun-wau-nis-sa—Waxen chatterer.

O-zhah-wus-kobe-na-sa—Green bird.

O-zaw-we-be-na-sa—Yellow bird.

Ma-ma—Red headed wood pecker.

Paw-paw-sa—Spotted wood pecker.

Muk-kud-da paw-paw-sa—Black pawpawsa. The male of this kind, has a bright yellow spot on the top of the head. They are found about Lake Superior in winter.

Mo-ning-gwan-na—Yarril, (highhold.)

Ke-ke-ba-na—small spotted wood pecker.

Che-gaun-do-wais-sa—Brown wood pecker, confined to cedar countries.

Shin-go-beek-ai-sa—Cedar bird.

Gitche-o-gish-ke-mun-ne-sa—Great king fisher.

O-gish-ke-mun-ne-sa[51]—Common king fisher.

Shaw-shaw-wa-ne-bais-sa—Swallow.

O-ge-bun-ge-gush.

O-kun-is-sa—Loxia enudeator, found at Lake Superior in February.

Pe, sing. Pe-ug, pl.—A fringilla, smaller than the waxen chatterer. The female has a spot of red on the top of the head; the male, the whole head and neck of the same colour. The tail feathers are bent outwards near the ends. Found about Lake Superior in the winter.

Mam-mah-twa.

Bosh-kun-dum-moan—Parakeet, (croch perons.)

Moash-kah-o-se We-kum-mo, (Menomonie)—Stake driver, (bittern.)

Kun-nuh waw-be-mokee-zhis wais-sa—Fly up the creek, (sun gazer.)

Me-mom-i-ne-ka-she—Rail, (rice bird.)

Pud-dush-kon-zhe—Snipe.

Gitche-pud-dush-kon-zhe—Wood cock.

CHE-CHEES-CHE-ME-UK—Waders.

Mo-voke—Curliew, (a foreign word.)

Mus-ko-da che-chees-ke-wa—Upland plover.

Wain-je-tah che-chees-ke-wa—Yellow leg plover.

Che-to-waik—Bull head plover.

Che-chees-ke-wais—Tern.

Wawb-uh-che-chawk—White Crane.

O-saw-waw-che-chawk—Sand hill crane.

Me-zis-sa—Turkey.

Be-na—Pheasant.

Mush-ko-da-sa—Grouse; confined to pine and cedar countries.

Ah-gusk, (Ojib.) Ke-waw-ne, (Ott.)—Prairie hen.

O-me-me—Pigeon; o-me-meeg—pigeons. Amemi, Z. 19.

KO-KO-KO-OGE[52]—Owls.

Waw-wain-je gun-no—Great horned owl.

Wain-je-tah koko-koho—Right owl.

Koko-oanse—Little owl; gokhotit, Z. 18.

Bo-dah-wah doam-ba—Size of a pigeon, (membrum virile.)

Kaw-kaw-be-sha—Brown owl.

Waw-be-ko-ko—Snow owl, very large.

Waw-o-nais-sa—Whippoorwill.

Baish-kwa—Night hawk.

SHE-SHE-BUG—Ducks.

Waw-be-zee—Great Swan.

Mah-nah-be-zee—Smaller swan, not common. Their cry resembles the voice of a man. The word means ugly or ill looking swan.

Ne-kuh—Brant, ne-kug, pl.

Pish-ne-kuh—A smaller brant.

Wa-wa—Goose; Wa-waig—Geese; Waw-be-wa-wa—White goose; Waw-be-wa-waig—White geese.

An-ne-nish-sheeb—Duck and mallard.

Tah-gwaw-ge she-sheeb—Fall duck, red neck.

Mah-to-gun she-sheeb—Scrapper bill duck.

Scah-mo—Wood duck.

Wa-weeb-ge-won-ga—Blue wing teal, (swift winged.)

Ke-nis-te-no-kwa sheeb—Cree woman duck.

Muk-kud-da sheeb—Black duck.

Kitche-waw-we-big-wa-wya—Large blue wing duck.

Pe-gwuk-o-she sheeb—Large bill, or blunt arrow duck; from pe-gwuk, the blunt or unbarbed arrow. This species has a large bill, and head of a leaden colour. They are found throughout the winter, in the rapids between Lakes Superior and Huron.

Ma-muh-tway-ah-ga—Whistling wing.

Kee-no-gwaw-o-wa sheeb—Long neck duck.

A-ha-wa—House duck.

Wah-ka-we sheeb—White duck.

Gaw-waw-zhe-koos—Shell duck.

Ah-zig-wuk—Fishing duck.

Sah-gah-ta—Mud hen.

Shin-ge-bis—Greebe; Gitche-shin-ge-bis—Large greebe.

Mahng—Loon.

A-sha-mahng—Small loon.

Gau-gau-geshe sheeb—Cormorant.

Sha-da—Pelican; sha-daig—Pelicans.

Shuh-shuh-gah—Blue Heron.

GI-AUSHK-WUG—Gulls.

Gitche-gi-aushk—Great gull. Gi-as-koo-sha of the Ottawwaws.

Paush-kaw gi-aushk—Black headed gull.

Nas-so-waw-gwun-nus-kitte-kwah-gi-aushk—Fork tailed gull.

Muk-kud-da gi-aushk—Black gull.

MAN-E-TOANSE-SUG[53]—Insects.

Bo-dush-kwon-e-she—Large dragon fly.

Bo-dus-kwon-e-sheense—Small dragon fly.

Gitche-me-ze-zauk[54]—Large horse fly.

Me-zauk—Common horse fly.

Me-zauk-oons—Nat fly.

Gitche-ah-mo—Humble bee. Amoe, a bee, Z. 19.

Ah-mo, sing., ah-maag, pl.—Wasps, hornets, etc.

Waw-waw-tais-sa—Lightning bug.

An-ne-me-ke wid-de-koam[55]—Miller, sphinx, thunder’s louse.

Pah-puk-ke-na—Grasshopper.

Ad-de-sah-wa-a-she—Locust.

Mow-wytch-e-ka-se—Beetle, (dung worker.)

Gitche-o-mis-kose—Great water bugs.

O-mis—Common water bug.

Ma-maing-gwah—Butterfly.

Metig-onishe-moan-ka-she—(He that sleeps in a stick.) Found in the bottom of springs.

Sha-bo-e-ya-sa—Rowing water bug.

Man-e-toanse o-ke-te-beeg pe-me-but-toan—Literally, the little (creature or) spirit that runs on the water.

O-mush-ko-se-se-wug—Grass bugs.

O-o-chug—Blowing flies and house flies.

Sug-ge-ma—Mosquito.

Pin-goosh, pin-goosh-ains-sug—Gnats and sand flies.

Mat-wa-nuh-kai-moag—Swarming flies.

Sub-be-ka-she—Spider, (net worker.) A-a-be-ko—Large black spider.

An-e-go—Ant.[56]

Mis-ko-manetoanse—A little red bug common in the north.

Me-nah-koo-sit manetoanse—Strawberry bug.

Puh-beeg—Flea; Puh-beeg-wug—Fleas.

Eze-gaug—Tick.

E-kwuh—Louse; E-kwug—Lice.

MO-SAIG—Worms.

O-zah-wash-ko-mo-sah—Green worm.

Way-muk-kwah-na—Great caterpillar, (bear skin.)

Gitche-mo-sa—Great white grub; gitche-mo-saig, plural.

Me-shin-no-kau-tait-mo-sa—Millipede.

Pe-mis-koo-de-seence—Snail.

KE-GOI-YUG—Fishes.

Nah-ma—Sturgeon.

Mas-ke-no-zha—Maskenonge, or pike.

O-zhaw-wush-ko ke-no-zha—Green pickerel, only found in the north.

Ke-no-zha—Pickerel; from kenose, long.

Nah-ma-goosh—Trout.

Na-zhum-ma-goosh—Brook trout.

Ne-git-che—Buffalo fish.

Bush-she-to—Sheeps head; bush-she-toag, plural.

Mon-nuh-she-gun—Black bass.

Ad-dik-kum-aig, (attai-kum-meeg, Menom.)—White fish, or rein-deer fish; from ad-dik, rein-deer, and gum-maig, water.

Buh-pug-ga-sa—Large sucker.

Mis-kwaw-zhe-gun-no—Red horse.

Nah-ma-bin—Sucker; Mis-kwun nah-ma-bin—Red sucker.

Ug-gud-dwawsh—Sun fish.

Sah-wa—Perch, (yellow.) Sah-waig, pl.

O-ka-ah-wis—Fresh water herring.

We-be-chee—A flat fish larger than herring; only found in Red River.

Mon-num-maig—Great cat fish.

Ah-wa-sis-sie—Little catfish. The Indians say this fish hatches its young in a hole in the mud, and that they accompany her for some time afterwards.

Ke-na-beek gwum-maig—Eel, (water snake.)

O-da-che-gah-oon—Gar.

Shig-gwum-maig—Shovel nose; only in the Mississippi.

Kuk-kun-naun-gwi—Little toad fish; Lake Huron.

O-gah-suk—Little dories; Lake Huron.

O-gah—Dory.

Bug-gwut-tum-mo-goon-suk—These are small fishes, that make their appearance in ponds having no connection with rivers or lakes, and which are sometimes quite dry. But though they all perish in times of drought, they re-appear when the ponds are filled.

Shaw-ga-she—Craw fish.

Ais—Clam; Ais-sug—Clams.

Ais-ainse—Little clam.

Mis-koan-sug—Red clams.

MINERALS

That the Indians are less observant of inanimate substances than of organized beings, will be manifest from the following meagre catalogue of minerals.

Bin-gwaw-beek—Lime stone, (ashes stone.)

Mat-toat-wah-nah-beek—Granite.

Muk-kud-dah-waw-beek—Black stone.

Mik-kwum-me-waw-beek—White Flint, (ice stone.)

Pish-ah-beek—Sulphuret of iron. They often find this passing into sulphate of iron, and make use of it for dying black.

O-poih-gun-us-sin—Pipe stone; farther distinguished according to colour.

O-skaw-shut-waw-beek—Gneiss, (vein stone.)

Mis-kwaw-sin—Red sand stone.

Gaw-gaw-wusk—Gypsum.

Waw-be-gun—White clay.

O-num-un—Ochre.

Mis-kwaw-be-gun—Red earth.

O-saw-waw-be-gun—Yellow earth.

Muk-kud-da-wuk-kum-mik—Black mould.

Waw-be-gun-uk-kaw—Clay ground.

OF TOTEMS

Among the Indians of the Algonkin stock, every man receives from his father a _totem_, or family name. They affirm that no man is, by their customs, allowed to change his totem; and as this distinctive mark descends to all the children a man may have, as well as to all the prisoners he may take and adopt, it is manifest that, like the genealogies of the Hebrews, these totems should afford a complete enumeration of the stocks from which all the families have been derived. It differs not from our institution of surnames, except that the obligations of friendship and hospitality, and the restraint upon intermarriage, which it imposes, are more scrupulously regarded. They profess to consider it highly criminal for a man to marry a woman whose totem is the same as his own; and they relate instances where young men, for a violation of this rule, have been put to death by their nearest relatives. They say, also, that those having the same totem are bound, under whatever circumstances, as they meet, even though they should be of different and hostile bands, to treat each other not only as friends, but as brethren, sisters, and relatives of the same family.

Of the origin of this institution, and of the obligation to its strict observance, the Indians profess to know nothing. They say they suppose the totem was given them in the beginning, by their creator. Like surnames among us, these marks are now numerous; and, as in the case of our surnames, it is difficult to account for their multiplicity, without supposing a time when they might have been changed, or new ones adopted, more easily than at present.

It is not, as yet, well ascertained that any of the North American Indians, except those of the Algonkin family, have these peculiar genealogical marks. Those of the great Chippewyan family, in the north, we are well assured, have them not. From long acquaintance with the Dahcotah bands of the Mississippi and St. Peters, in which designation we include the Hoochawgenah, or Winnebagoes, and the Ioways, and from a more transient sojourning among the Otoes, the Kansas, the Omawhawes, the Pawnees, and other western tribes, we have, with careful inquiry and search, been able to collect no intimation of such a custom among them. But of the western Indians we cannot speak with entire confidence, as we recollect to have heard Renville, an interpreter for the Sioux, after much puzzling and cross-examination, admit that something of the kind might exist among that people. It may be observed, that the Algonkins believe all other Indians to have totems, though, from the necessity they are in general under, of remaining ignorant of those of hostile bands, the omission of the totem in their picture writing serves to designate an enemy. Thus, those bands of Ojibbeways who border on the country of the Dahcotah, or Sioux, always understand the figure of a man without totem, to mean one of that people.

CATALOGUE OF TOTEMS

_Among the Ottawaws and Ojibways with the names of some to whom they belong._

Muk-kwaw—Bear, the totem of Pe-ga-gun, O-shaw-wa-no, and O-ka-taw, chiefs of Waw-gun-nuk-kiz-ze.

Ke-no-zha—Pickerel, of A-ke-win-de-ba.

Ad-dik-kun-maig—White fish, of Wawb-o-jeeg, (the white fisher.)

Moons—Moose, of Naw-o-gee-zhik, (in the middle of the sky.) This is said to be the original totem of the Ottawwaws; having received many accessions of people from other bands, many other totems have been derived from them, and are now intermixed with the original stock.

Ad-dik—Rein deer, of Ma-mi-ah-jun, (he that goes.)

Mahng—A loon, of Too-beesh.

Me-giz-ze—White headed eagle, of Me-zhuk-kwun-na-no.

Ka-kaik—Henhawk, of O-ge-mah-we-nin-ne.

Pe-pe-ge-wiz-zains—Sparrow hawk, of Muk-kud-da-be-na-sa.

Ah-meek—Beaver, of Wa-me-gon-a-biew and Net-no-kwa.

Mus-sun-dum-mo—Water snake, of O-kin-je-wun-no, Sin-ne-way, etc.

——Forked tree, of Keme-wun-O-jeeg, etc.

Gi-oshk—Gull, of Puh-koo-se-gun.

Ad-je-jawk—Crane, of Au-da-mene.

Nah-ma-bin—Sucker, of Nain-noh-we-ton.

Pe-zhew—Wild cat; common totem among the Muskegoes.

Ah-wa-sis-se—Small cat fish, of Matche-kwe-we-zainse. Sometimes they call the people of this totem, “those who carry their young,” from the habits of the small cat fish.

She-she-gwun—Rattle snake; the totem of Gish-kaw-ko, Manito-o-geezhik, etc. and by them given to Tanner.

Many more might be enumerated, but these are sufficient to give an idea of the kinds of objects from which they choose to derive their names. The trivial or common name of a man may be, and often is, changed on his going to war, or at the occurrence of any remarkable event; but the totem is never changed. It is not true, that they have, in all instances, the figure of whatever may be their totem always tattooed on some part of their body, nor that they carry about them a skin, or any other mark, by which it may be immediately recognised. Though they may sometimes do this, they are, in other instances, when they meet as strangers, compelled to inquire of each other their respective totems.[57]

The word _totem_ is of the Ojibbeway language, and, like almost all others, is readily moulded into the form of a verb, as will appear from the following examples:—

Ah-neen en-dah che-un-net, O-to-tem-e-waun maun-duh-pe? How many are these are totems here? How many are the totems of this band?

Wa-nain way-gi-osh-kun wa-to-ta-met? What the gull is his totem? What is the gull’s totem?

KNOWLEDGE OF ASTRONOMY

Of the opinions of the Indians respecting the heavenly bodies, little need be said. An extensive acquaintance with the motions, figures, distances, etc. of these bodies, could not have been expected from people situated as they are, and deprived altogether of the aids of instruments, and a written language. They pretend to no more knowledge on these subjects than they possess.

Au-do-me-ne, an intelligent Ottawwaw of Wawgunuk-kizze, in answer to my inquiries concerning their opinion of the sun and moon, related to me the following fable:—

Long ago, an old Ojibbeway chief, and his wife, who lived on the shore of Lake Huron, had one son, a very beautiful boy. His name was Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, (he that catches clouds,) and his totem, after that of his father, a beaver. He would have been a great favourite with them, for he was, in the main, affectionate and dutiful, except that they could never persuade him to fast. Though they gave him charcoal, in place of his usual breakfast, he would never blacken his face, and if he could find fish eggs, or the head of a fish, he would roast them, and have something to eat. Once they took from him what he had thus cooked in place of his accustomed breakfast, and threw him some coals instead of it. But this was the last of many attempts to compel him to fast. He took up the coals, blackened his face, went out, and lay down. At night, he did not return into the lodge of his parents, but slept without. In his dream he saw a very beautiful woman come down from above, and stand at his feet. She said, “Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, I am come for you; see that you step in my tracks.” The lad obeyed without hesitation, and stepping carefully in her steps, he presently found himself ascending above the tops of the trees, through the air, and beyond the clouds. His guide at length passed through a small round hole, and he following her, found himself standing on a beautiful and extensive prairie.

They followed the path, which led them to a large and rich looking lodge; entering here, they saw on one side pipes and war clubs, bows, arrows, and spears, with the various implements and ornaments of men. At the other end of the lodge were the things belonging to women. Here was the home of the beautiful girl who had been his companion, and she had, on the sticks, a belt she had not finished weaving. She said to him, “My brother is coming, and I must conceal you.” So putting him in one corner, she spread the belt over him. Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, however, watched what passed without, from his concealment, and saw the brother of the young woman come in, most splendidly dressed, and take down a pipe from the wall. After he had smoked, he laid aside his pipe, and the sack containing his pah-koo-se-gun, and said, “When, my sister, will you cease from these practices? Have you forgotten that the Greatest of the Spirits has forbidden you to steal the children of those who live below? You suppose you have concealed this that you have now brought, but do I not know that he is here in the lodge? If you would not incur my displeasure, you must send him immediately down to his friends.” But she would not. He then said to the boy, when he found that his sister was determined not to dismiss him, “You may as well come out from that place, where you are not concealed from me, and walk about, for you will be lonesome and hungry if you remain there.” He took down a bow and arrows, and a pipe of red stone, richly ornamented, to give him. So the boy came out from under the belt, and amused himself with the bow and pipe the man gave him, and he became the husband of the young woman who had brought him up from the woods near his father’s lodge.

He went abroad in the open prairie, but in all this fair and ample country, he found no inhabitants, except his wife and her brother. The plains were adorned with flowers, and garnished with bright and sparkling streams, but the animals were not like those he had been accustomed to see. Night followed day, as on the earth, but with the first appearance of light, the brother-in-law of Ono-wut-to-kwut-to began to make his preparations to leave the lodge. All day, and every day, he was absent, and returned in the evening; his wife, also, though not so regular in the time of her departure and return, was often absent great part of the night.

He was curious to know where they spent all the time of their absence, and he obtained from his brother-in-law permission to accompany him in one of his daily journeys. They went on in a smooth and open path, through prairies, to which they could see no boundary, until Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, becoming hungry, asked his companion if he did not think he should find any game. “Be patient, my brother,” said he; “this is my road in which I walk every day, and at no great distance is the place where I constantly eat my dinner. When we arrive there you shall see how I am supplied with food.”

They came at length to a place where were many fine mats to sit down upon, and a hole through which to look down upon the earth. Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, at the bidding of his companion, looked down through this hole, and saw far beneath him the great lakes, and the villages, not of the Ojibbeways only, but of all the red skins. In one place he saw a war party, stealing silently along toward the hunting camp of their enemies, and his companion told him what would be the result of the attack they were about to make. In another place he saw people feasting and dancing: young men were engaged at their sports, and here and there women were labouring at their accustomed avocations.

The companion of Ono-wut-to-kwut-to called his attention to a group of children playing beside a lodge. “Do you see,” said he, “that active and beautiful boy?” at the same time throwing a very small stone, which hit the child, who immediately fell to the ground, and presently they saw him carried into the lodge. Then they saw people running about, and heard the she-she-gwun, and the song and prayer of the medicine man, entreating that the child’s life might be spared. To this request his companion made answer, “Send me up the white dog.” Then they could distinguish the hurry and bustle of preparation for a feast, a white dog killed and singed, and the people, who were called, assembling at the lodge. While these things were passing, he addressed himself to Ono-wut-to-kwut-to, saying, “There are, among you in the lower world, some whom you call great medicine men; but it is because their ears are open, and they hear my voice, when I have struck any one, that they are able to give relief to the sick. They direct the people to send me whatever I call for, and when they have sent it, I remove my hand from those I had made sick.” When he had said this, the white dog was parcelled out in dishes, for those that were at the feast; then the medicine man, when they were about to begin to eat, said, “We send thee this, Great Manito;” and immediately they saw the dog, cooked, and ready to be eaten, rising to them through the air. After they had dined, they returned home by another path.

In this manner they lived for some time, but Ono-wut-to-kwut-to had not forgotten his friends, and the many pleasant things he had left in his father’s village, and he longed to return to the earth. At last, his wife consented to his request. “Since,” said she, “you are better pleased with the poverty, the cares, and the miseries of the world beneath, then with the peaceful and permanent delights of these prairies, go. I give you permission to depart; not only so, but since I brought you hither, I shall carry you back to the place where I found you, near your father’s lodge; but remember, you are still my husband, and that my power over you is in no manner diminished. You may return to your relatives, and live to the common age of man by observing what I now say to you. Beware how you venture to take a wife among men. Whenever you do so, you shall feel my displeasure; and if you marry the second time, it is then you will be called to return to me.”

Then Ono-wut-to-kwut-to awoke, and found himself on the ground, near the door of his father’s lodge. Instead of the bright beings of his vision, he saw about him his aged mother, and his relatives, who told him he had been absent about a year. For some time he was serious and abstracted; but, by degrees, the impression of his visit to the upper world wore off. He began to doubt the reality of what he had heard and seen. At length, forgetful of the admonitions of his spouse, he married a beautiful young woman of his own tribe. Four days afterwards she was a corpse. But even the effect of this fearful admonition was not permanent. He again ventured to marry, and soon afterwards, going out of his lodge one night, to listen to some unusual noise, he disappeared, to return no more. It was believed that his wife from the upper world came to recall him, according to her threat, and that he still remains in those upper regions, and has taken the place of his brother-in-law, in overlooking the affairs of men.

It appears from this tradition, that worship, or sacrifices, are, among the Ottawwaws, sometimes made to the sun and moon; and they acknowledge that these luminaries, or rather the man in the sun, and the woman in the moon, keep watch over all our actions.

The various changes of the moon afford them a method of measuring time, very definite as to the periods, but variable in the names they give them. Their old men have many disputes about the number of moons in each year, and they give different names to each of these. Some of the names in common use are the following. The first words are in the Ottawwaw, and the second in the Menomonie dialect.

O-tu-hu-mene kee-zis—O-tai-hai-min ka-zho—Strawberry moon.

Me-nes kee-zis—Main ka-zho—Whortleberry moon.

Menomonie-ka-we kee-zis—Pohia-kun ka-zho—Wild rice gathering moon.

Be-nah-kwaw-we kee-zis—Paw-we-pe-muk ka-zho—Leaves falling moon.

Gush-kut-te-ne kee-zis—Wun-nai ka-zho—Ice moon.

Ah-gim-me-ka-we kee-zis—Wa-si-ko-si ka-zho—Snow shoes, Ojib; bright night, Menom.

Mah-ko kee-zis—Wa-mun-nus-so ka-zho—(Manito o-kee-zis, Ojib.)—Bear moon, Ott.; deer rutting moon, Men.; (Spirit moon, Ojib.)

Kitche-manito o-kee-zis—Ma-cha-ti-wuk wa-mun-nuz-so-wuk—Longest moon, good for hunting.[58]

Me-giz-ze-we kee-zis—Na-ma-pin ka-zho—(Na-ma-bin kee-zis, Ott.)—Sucker moon.

Ne-ke kee-zis—Sho-bo-maw-kun ka-zho—Brant moon, Ojib.; Sugar moon, Men.

Maung-o kee-zis—As-sa-bun ka-zho—Loon’s moon, Ojib.; raccoon moon, Men.

Sah-ge-bug-ah-we kee-zis—Pe-ke-pe-muk ka-zho—Leaves moon.

Another moon spoken of by the Menomonies, is Wai-to-ke Ka-zho, the snake moon, which belongs to the spring season.

The following short catalogue of stars and constellations, will show that they pay some attention to the more remote of the heavenly bodies. Some few of their old men, it is said, have many more names.

Waw-bun-an-nung—The morning star.

Ke-wa-din-an-nung—The north star.

Muk-koo-ste-gwon—The bear’s head. Three stars in the triangle.

Muh-koo-zhe-gwun—Bear’s rump. Seven stars.

Oj-eegan-nung-wug—Fisher stars. The bright stars in ursa major, and one beyond, which forms the point of the fisher’s nose.

Mah-to-te-sun—The sweating lodge. One of the poles of this lodge is removed. They say the man whom they point out near by, was so overcome with the heat of the Mah-to-te-sun, that in his hurried attempt to escape, he pulled up this pole.

Mahng—A loon.

Nau-ge-maun-gwait—Man in a canoe hunting the loon.

Ah-wah-to-wuh o-moag—The companions sailing.

An-nung-o-skun-na—Comet. They have the opinion common among ignorant white people, that the appearance of a comet is an indication that war is to follow. The Ojibbeway An-nung-o-skun-na, seems to signify blazing star. The Menomonies call them Sko-tie-nah-mo-kin, the seeing fire. Some of the Ojibbeways, also, Wa-ween-e-zis-e-mah-guk Ish-koo-da, fire that has hair.

Of the true cause of the increase and decrease of the moon, of eclipses, and of other phenomena which depend upon the motions of the heavenly bodies, they have no correct conceptions. When the moon is in eclipse, they say it is dying, and they load and discharge their guns at it; and when they perceive the bright part becoming a little larger, they imagine they have aided to drive away the sickness which was overpowering it. Of the milky way, they sometimes say, that a turtle has been swimming along the bottom of the sky, and disturbed the mud. Of the aurora borealis, which they call the dance of the dead, their opinion, though a little more poetic, is equally childish. Several meteoric phenomena they distinguish from those remoter appearances which are beyond our atmosphere, and of the former they sometimes say, “they belong to us.”

What was long ago stated by Roger Williams, of the mythology of the Indians of Rhode Island, agrees but in part with the opinions of the present day among the Ottawwaws. Of Cau-tan-to-wit, “the great south-west god,” we hear nothing. Ning-gah-be-an-nong Manito, the western god, the younger brother of Na-na-bon-jou, the god of the country of the dead, has taken his place. In his Saw-waw-nand, we recognize the Shaw-wun-noug Manito, the southern god of the Ottawwaws. But all these, Waw-bun-ong Manito, the god of the morning, or of the east, Ke-way-tin-ong Manito, the god of the north, with Ka-no-waw-bum-min-uk, “he that sees us,” whose place is in the sun, are inferior in power to many others; even to the Ke-zhe-ko-we-nin-ne-wug, the sky people; a race of small, but benevolent and watchful beings, who are ever ready to do good to mankind.